Differences in the carcinogenic evaluation of glyphosate between the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

Portier CJ, Armstrong BK, Baguley BC, Baur X, Belyaev I, Bellé R, Belpoggi F, Biggeri A, Bosland MC, Bruzzi P, Budnik LT, Bugge MD, Burns K, Calaf GM, Carpenter DO, Carpenter HM, López-Carrillo L, Clapp R, Cocco P, Consonni D, Comba P, Craft E, Dalvie MA, Davis D, Demers PA, De Roos AJ, DeWitt J, Forastiere F, Freedman JH, Fritschi L, Gaus C, Gohlke JM, Goldberg M, Greiser E, Hansen J, Hardell L, Hauptmann M, Huang W, Huff J, James MO, Jameson CW, Kortenkamp A, Kopp-Schneider A, Kromhout H, Larramendy ML, Landrigan PJ, Lash LH, Leszczynski D, Lynch CF, Magnani C, Mandrioli D, Martin FL, Merler E, Michelozzi P, Miligi L, Miller AB, Mirabelli D, Mirer FE, Naidoo S, Perry MJ, Petronio MG, Pirastu R, Portier RJ, Ramos KS, Robertson LW, Rodriguez T, Röösli M, Ross MK, Roy D, Rusyn I, Saldiva P, Sass J, Savolainen K, Scheepers PTJ, Sergi C, Silbergeld EK, Smith MT, Stewart BW, Sutton P, Tateo F, Terracini B, Thielmann HW, Thomas DB, Vainio H, Vena JE, Vineis P, Weiderpass E, Weisenburger DD, Woodruff TJ, Yorifuji T, Yu IJ, Zambon P, Zeeb H, Zhou SF. Differences in the carcinogenic evaluation of glyphosate between the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). J Epidemiol Community Health. 2016;70(8):741-745. doi:10.1136/jech-2015-207005

Summary

For the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) Monograph 112, expert scientists evaluated the carcinogenic hazard for four insecticides and the herbicide glyphosate. Glyphosate was classified as a probable human carcinogen (Group 2A). The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the primary agency of the European Union for risk assessments regarding food safety. EFSA has concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans.

This commentary overviews the evidence and discusses serious flaws in the scientific evaluation that EFSA’s classification is based on, leading EFSA to incorrectly characterize the potential for a carcinogenic hazard from exposure to glyphosate.